Staffing Services (6) Page 6

Your company is looking for top talent to fill an engineering role and the responsibility to find this superstar falls on your shoulders. You have engaged with various agencies, plastered the job boards with postings and tirelessly entered every possible Boolean search on employment sites. The higher-ups decided that this future top-performer must be a local candidate, but you feel that the talent pool in your area is seemingly dried up. The country is experiencing historically low unemployment rates and fewer candidates are available. What can you do?

Today’s job market is the most competitive that employers have seen in the last 50 years. Unemployment has reached its lowest point since March of 2001. This means that when a company needs a specific role filled, there are only a handful of candidates applying, and those people have options. Options create problems for employers, especially when one company could have a longer hiring process than its competition, possibly losing potential hires to the elongated procedure.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Just getting an interview can already be a tremendous hurdle to clear. If you are serious about trying to obtain a new position, there are a few steps to keep in mind.

Funny thing about the first sales candidate I interviewed on my own was that I didn’t know I was going to be interviewing alone. In fact, I wasn’t aware we were having anyone in to interview at all! At the time, we were a small company with only a few formal procedures, one of which was our interview process. When our receptionist let me know there was a sales candidate waiting for me, I was surprised. I did have a notion we were talking to someone about the role, however, wasn't sure of where we were in the process. My boss was nowhere to be found, and after a brief phone call, I discovered I was on my own for this one. Yikes. While walking the candidate back, I frantically attempted to think of interview questions to ask. The rest flew by in a blur, but in the end, the candidate was hired, quickly became a top performer, and made our President’s Club 12 of his 13 years with the company. 

If you’re an owner, human resources (HR) manager or engineering manager, you may have looked at a resume or two...thousand in your time. I’ve had clients tell me stories of agencies pushing resumes on them where the candidate lacked the needed skill-set or even had no correlation to the open position. On the other end of the spectrum, I've had candidate tell me how agencies have wanted to shoehorn them into jobs or positions that were no interest to them or even too far from where they wanted to live. 

In my work experience, I still meet people who do not fully understand the benefits of working with a recruiter when looking for employment. To be honest, prior to this career path, I never really understood or knew what the role was all about. I did not trust recruiters and felt they would not keep my best interest in mind. However, I have learned first-hand the success in this role is determined on how well they are able to establish and cultivate a collaborative relationship with the client and the job seeker. Compiled below are four benefits to working with a recruiter.  

Your phone rang and you had that initial conversation with a recruiter. Congratulations! You just started a brand new professional relationship, and like all relationships, communication is key. Regardless of who reached out to whom first, it's important to stay in contact. 

Groundhog Day has passed and as we fall into the familiarity of another year, it is easy to forget those New Year's resolutions. Have we already forgone on going to the gym or how we will change our diet? There are many things we can claim we will change but actually acting on minimizing our pitfalls can be a difficult task.

My first hire as a new manager 13 years ago was a disaster. His his resume was great and he carried a conversation with superb grace and composure. And to top it off, he drove a big, fancy car! So what went wrong?